U.S. patent number 4,777,940 [Application Number 07/068,465] was granted by the patent office on 1988-10-18 for portable massaging apparatus having vibration isolating members on worm gears.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Fuji Iryoki. Invention is credited to Yoshikiyo Yamasaki.
United States Patent |
4,777,940 |
Yamasaki |
October 18, 1988 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Portable massaging apparatus having vibration isolating members on
worm gears
Abstract
A portable massaging apparatus comprises a pair of worm gears
which engage with a worm on both sides thereof, a box within which
the pair of worm gears are installed, and vibration isolating
plates with one or more types of annular elastic projecting parts
which are applied to the inner wall of said box at a certain
pressure and are equipped on one or both sides of the upper and
lower surfaces of the worm gears to prevent noise and vibration
which occur when the worm gears rotate. In the portable massaging
apparatus of this construction, little vibration is transmitted to
the massaging balls and little resonance is transmitted from the
case body, so that comfortable massage to parts, such as the back
or the scruff of the neck of a user's body, can be provided, and
acupressure effect can be expected.
Inventors: |
Yamasaki; Yoshikiyo (Osaka,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Kabushiki Kaisha Fuji Iryoki
(Osaka, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
22082756 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/068,465 |
Filed: |
June 30, 1987 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
601/87 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H
7/004 (20130101); A61H 7/005 (20130101); A61H
15/00 (20130101); A61H 2205/04 (20130101); A61H
2205/081 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61H
7/00 (20060101); A61H 15/00 (20060101); A61H
007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/45,46,59,60,61
;267/136 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pearson; Charles
Assistant Examiner: Lamb; Tonya
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Flynn, Thiel, Boutell &
Tanis
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A portable massaging apparatus comprising:
a box-like housing;
a box-like casing contained in said housing, said casing having
upper and lower parts defining a space therebetween;
a motor contained in said housing;
a worm and a pair of worm gears contained in said casing, said worm
being connected to said motor so that it is driven by said motor,
and said worm gears being engaged with opposite sides of said worm
so that the worm gears rotate simultaneously in opposite
directions;
a worm gear shaft nonrotatably coupled to each worm gear, each worm
gear shaft being disposed coaxially with and extending outwardly
from upper and lower faces of the worm gear;
bearings contained in said upper and lower parts of said casing,
said bearings being coaxial with and surrounding portions of said
shafts that extend outwardly from the upper and lower faces of said
worm gears;
upper vibration isolating plates provided on the upper face of said
worm gears and maintained in elastic bearing engagement with an
opposed surface on said upper casing part, said upper vibration
isolating plates being coaxial and in contact with the worm gear
shafts that extend outwardly from the upper face of the worm gears;
and
massaging elements disposed outside said housing, said massaging
elements being connected to the tops of said worm gear shafts that
extend outwardly from the upper faces of the worm gears, said tops
of said worm gear shafts being disposed at an acute angle with
respect to the axes passing through the upper and lower faces of
said worm gears and extending through openings provided in said
housing.
2. A portable massaging apparatus comprising:
a casing having upper and lower wall parts which define a space
therebetween;
a pair of generally parallel shafts extending across said space so
that opposite ends of said shafts are rotatably supported on said
upper and lower wall parts, said shafts having parts on the upper
ends thereof which project upwardly through said upper wall
part;
a massaging element mounted on each of said shaft parts in upwardly
spaced relationship from said upper wall part, said massaging
element being disposed in offset relationship relative to the
rotational axis of the respective shaft so as to undergo an orbital
circular motion in response to rotation of the respective shaft,
said massaging element having a generally rounded outer end
surface;
a pair of worm gears disposed within said space, each said worm
gear being nonrotatably and coaxially mounted relative to a
respective one of said shafts;
worm means positioned within said space and rotatably supported on
said casing, said worm means being positioned directly between said
worm gears so that said worm gears meshingly engage the worm on
diametrically opposite sides thereof so that rotation of the worm
causes simultaneous rotation of the worm gears in opposite
rotational directions;
motor means drivingly connected to said worm for causing said
rotation thereof; and
vibration isolating means coacting between said worm gears and said
casing for minimizing transmission of vibration and noise, said
vibration isolating means comprising a ring-shaped member disposed
in concentric relationship relative to each of said shafts and
having an annular elastic part disposed axially between one of said
wall parts and an opposed side surface of the worm gear for
applying elastic pressure against said last-mentioned wall
part.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said vibration isolating
member includes an annular hub part which concentrically surrounds
the respective shaft, a generally flat wall which projects radially
outwardly from the hub part and engages the side wall of the
respective worm gear, and an annular elastic rim which is joined to
the flat wall adjacent its radially outer edge and which projects
axially therefrom so as to terminate in an annular free edge which
resiliently bearingly engages a surface of said wall part.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a pair of said vibration
isolating members are disposed on opposite axial sides of each said
worm gear so as to engage opposite side surfaces of the worm gear
and also engage opposed surfaces on the upper and lower housing
parts.
5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said vibration isolating
member has a second annular elastic rim attached to said flat wall
and projecting axially therefrom toward said casing part for
resilient engagement with a surface thereof, said second rim being
generally concentric with but positioned radially inwardly from
said first-mentioned rim.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said rims are of different
axially-extending heights.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the free edge of one of said
rims is of a serrated configuration.
Description
This application is related to my copending application U.S. Ser.
No. 021 117 filed Mar. 3, 1987.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable massaging apparatus which is
easy to carry and can be used by hand, comprising a pair of
massaging balls which relatively circle to massage any part of a
user's body by proper force. This apparatus has the same effect as
conventional acupressure type massaging apparatus.
2. Description of Prior Art
It has previously been proposed to provide vibrator type massaging
apparatus or massager type portable messaging apparatus including a
pair of massaging balls or elements which tremble or relatively
move and are applied released from a user's body. Recently,
massager type massaging apparatus are popular because of the soft
feel of their massaging balls.
Conventional known portable massaging apparatus comprises, as shown
in FIG. 1, a pair of worm gears equipped on both sides of a worm 2
within a box 1, and massaging balls 5 connected to the top of
shafts 4 of each worm gear 3 in line at a certain angle. Rotating
said worm 2 by a motor M relatively circles said pair of massaging
balls 5.
However, conventional portable massaging apparatus of the
construction described above have a disadvantage in that noise and
vibration may occur between the gears 3 because of the uneven size
of said box 1 or the uneven contact ratio of the worm 2 and worm
gears 3. Although the contacting points of the worm 2 and each worm
gear 3 are greased in order to eliminate this problem, the problem
of vibration remains uneliminated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a portable massaging
apparatus for providing a comfortable massage, without noise and
vibration, and a continuous massage of the affected part of a user
by the relatively circling of a pair of massaging balls.
The portable massaging apparatus according to this invention
comprises a pair of worm gears which engage with a worm on both
sides thereof, a box within which the pair of worm gears are
installed to freely rotate, and massaging balls connected to the
top of the shaft of each worm gear in line at a certain angle to
each shaft for helping the massaging balls relatively circle and is
characterized in that vibration isolating plates with one or more
sorts of annular elastic projecting parts are applied to the inner
wall of said box at a desired pressure and are equipped on one or
both sides of the upper and lower surfaces of said worm gears to
prevent as much noise and vibration as possible that occur during
the rotation of the worm gears. Detailed description of the
portable massaging apparatus will be given below based on an
embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-7.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a portable massaging
apparatus according to the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of a portable massaging
apparatus which is an embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a box of an embodiment of this
invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective side view of a vibration isolating plate of
an embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 5 is a central vertical sectional view of the vibration
isolating plate of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a perspective side view of another embodiment of a
vibration isolating plate of this invention.
FIG. 7 is a central vertical sectional view of anotherembodiment of
a vibration isolating plate of this invention.
FIG. 8 is a central vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but
illustrating a variation wherein vibration isolating plates are
disposed on both sides of the worm gears.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
11 is a portable massaging apparatus according to this invention,
12 is a worm which is driven by a motor M, and 13 is a pair of worm
gears which are equipped on both sides of said worm 12 to engage
with said worm 12 and to rotate simultaneously in opposite
directions.
14 is a box to receive and support said worm 12 and said worm gears
13. Bearings 15 are fixed on the upper and lower parts of the right
and left portions of the inner wall of said box 14 to support
shafts 16 of said worm gears 13 so that said shafts 15 can freely
rotate.
17 is a vibration isolating rubber to prevent wobble between said
bearings 15 and the shaft 16, but said vibration isolating rubbers
17 are not always necessary except in the case that said box 14 is
made of resin which might deform and wobble.
19 is a rounded ball-like massaging element connected to the top of
said shafts 16 through saucer-shape connecting members 18 in line
at a certain angle to said shafts 16 so that each massaging ball 19
can relatively circle.
Furthermore, 20 is a case body supporting said massaging balls 19
which project outside said case 20 and said motor M and said box 14
are contained within said case 20 so that said massaging balls 19
can relatively circle. Handles 21 to carry said case body 20 are
provided on both sides thereof.
22 is a ring-shape vibration isolating plate equipped on one or
both of the upper and lower surfaces of said worm gears 13. Said
vibration isolating plates 22 are provided with one or more annular
elastic projecting parts 23 which are applied to said inner wall at
a desired pressure to prevent noise of said worm gears 13 and
vibration of said box 14 caused by rotation of said worm gears
13.
It is more effective, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, to equip said
vibration isolating plate 22 with a plurality of concentric annular
elastic projecting parts of different heights. It is also
acceptable that said elastic projecting parts are serrated, as
shown in FIG. 7, besides being of a constant height if they are
annular.
Furthermore, said vibration isolating plates 22 are sufficiently
effective for the prevention of noise and vibration even if
equipped on only one of the upper or lower surfaces of each worm
gear 13, as shown in FIG. 2. It is also acceptable to equip said
vibration isolating plates 22 on both of the upper and lower
surfaces of said worm gears 13, as shown in FIG. 1. This
construction has the advantage of reducing the quantity of grease
needed to fill said box so that said worm 12 can smoothly engage
with said worm gears 13.
In operation, driving said motor M rotates said worm 12, and then
said pair of worm gears 13 engaged with said worm 12 on both sides
thereof rotate in the opposite directions to relatively circle said
massaging balls 19 connected to the top of the shafts 16 of said
worm gears 13. The back or the scruff of the neck of a user applied
to said massaging balls 19 can be massaged without unpleasantness
caused by noise and vibration.
* * * * *